


I Hate Everything About You, Why Do I Love You?

by Fallen_angel_of_time23



Series: Klance Drabbles [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Fight, Fluff, Glitter, How Lance and Keith got together, Lance calls Keith Princess, M/M, Nicknames, Pidge helps them settle their shit, Prank Wars, Promise its still cute, Talk about the future, cute fluff, klance feels, relationship drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-25 18:16:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10769724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fallen_angel_of_time23/pseuds/Fallen_angel_of_time23
Summary: Lance and Keith finally got together, however how that happened created a nickname that would plague Keith until one day he snaps. Pidge comes to the rescue.





	1. The Princess and the Queen Part I

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoy my 3 am, insomnia induced mini one shot! Tell me if I should continue it or leave it. I'm indifferent atm. 
> 
> Anyway, this has no beta so any helpful feedback is welcome!!
> 
> ~ ML

* * *

 

"WE HAD A BONDING MOMENT!!" Keith shouted. This douche canoe was getting on his nerve. Lance looked at him with his head tilted, trying to recall the memory. It came easily enough, but it was followed by an idea, and he couldn't pass up the opportunity. 

 

"Sorry, man. I don't remember any of it." He paused when Keith scowled again, before adding cockiky, "Maybe we should reenact it. How did you say you were holding me?" Keith gave him a look between exasperation and livid. He stood and turned to go as Lance caught his wrist. 

 

"I'm being serious Keith," he added softly, his thumb tracing Keith's wrist. "I do want to remember our moment. Besides, either way, I could use the help standing up." He looked up at Keith with sincerity in his eyes, his hand still holding Keith's, thumb tracing circles on his wrist.

 

Keith merely scowled again, bending down to lift Lance up. Despite how blasted annoying he was, Keith did want Lance to remember. He lifted Lance with ease, just like the last time, except this time Lance was conscious enough to gasp in surprise and then awe. 

 

"Wow... you're strong." He eyed Keith in disbelief, who just rolled his eyes, not even bothering with a reply to that comment. Instead he said, "Are you remembering anything now /Lance/?" Lance just shook his head, before his eyes brightened with another idea.

 

"Wait. What did you say I said? While you were holding me? Wait. Tell me what you said first." Lance waited for Keith to answer him while doing his best to fight off a smile.

 

"I just asked if you were okay... you were the one that said-mhff!" Keith was cut short by Lance's mouth on his, feather light and hesitant. Not expecting it at all, the moment everything caught up to him, Keith's first reaction was to drop Lance, who hit the floor with a thud, followed by a shocked, "Ow!". 

 

"What the fuck Keith?" Lance glared up at him, expression softening into amusement the moment he say Keith's face. The boy was on utter shut down, staring into space with a shocked expression and his arms still in the air, tho slightly lower from having dropped Lance, who chuckled. He stood up, a smile on his face, and waved a hand in front of Keith's. 

 

"Earth to Keith, earth to Keith." He called, receiving no reply. Brows creased and mouth turned down in a thoughtful frown, Lance tried to think of a way to unfreeze his friend. Considering how a kiss froze him, Lance thought, "A kiss might wake him up again, you know, like a princess or something."

 

Sure enough, Lance leaned in and gently kissed Keith again, only for Keith to gasp in surprise before kissing him back. When the two pulled away, Lance chuckled, saying, "well hello there Princess." 

 

Keith's head tilted, confused. "I-I'm not... a... princess?" He was still dazed from the kiss, his words not fully linked together just yet.

 

"You froze like you were asleep and I woke you up with a kiss. I'm pretty sure that princess 101. It's in like both Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. So yeah, you're not escaping this one. You're a princess now!" Lance beamed in front of Keith who slowly put the pieces together, eyes widening in terror before narrowing in anger.

 

"I. Am. Not. A. Princess." He hissed. Lance just swooped in for another kiss, leaving Keith blush red and jaw dropped.

 

"Yeah you are," Lance teased, kissing him one last time. Keith could do nothing but stammer nonsense, flustered as he was. 

 

"Fine," Keith eventually muttered.

 

"Sorry what was that?" Lance asked surprised. He didn't expect Keith to ever give in, especially not that quickly.

 

"I said - oh, I'm not repeating myself Lance. You heard me the first time. Just kiss me already!" With a jerk he pulled Lance back into a kiss, this one more confident on both of their sides. Hands roamed as the kiss heated up, both boys almost desperate for contact with the other. They were panting when they pulled away, foreheads pressed together, eyes still closed. 

 

"Damn, Princess. You're a good kisser." Lance breathed out, barely above a whisper, but teasing all the same.

 

"I'll be whatever the fuck you want me to be as long as you keep kissing me like that." Keith responded, just a quiet.

 

"Well then," Lance started, kissing Keith slow and languishly before continuing, murmuring against his mouth, "will you be my boyfriend, Princess?" 

 

"Fuck. Yes." That was all Lance got in reply before their mouths were locked together again. When they broke apart this time though, Keith sighed and said, "We need to get back to everyone. They'll start looking for us if we are gone too long." Lance groaned, annoyed and distraught. 

 

"Who cares," he whined. "Let's just stay here. It's more fun. Come on Keith." Keith just smiled at his boyfriend's antics, placing a soft, chaste kiss to his cheek. 

 

"Later, Lance. We need to get back."

 

"Promise?" Lance asked, hopeful but still pouting.

 

"I promise." Lance smiled as he followed Keith back to the group. His smile and upbeat attitude won him a few questioning looks fun his friends, but a sharp look from Keith, and a wink when their friends weren't paying attention to him, told Lance that if he wanted Keith to keep that promise, he shouldn't speak a word. So that's what he did, grin spread wide, and words locked away, he ignored the looks, instead focusing on how Keith would reward him later that night. 

 

When they were finally dismissed, and could return to their rooms, Keith led Lance back to his room, and despite how detailed Lance's imagination got, Keith's reward for him was anything but a disappointment.

* * *

 


	2. The Princess and the Queen part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prank war. Enough said? Okay, one more word: Glitter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Everyone! I just added a photo to this chapter of some artwork someone made for the prank wars section. If you want to see Keith covered in glitter, then I suggest you check it out!!! And maybe follow their blog while you do?? 
> 
> Please let me know if there is any trouble with the link as I am still new to the working of AO3. I will do my best to fix any troubles that may arise!
> 
> Thank you all so much for the hits and kudos!! Love you all so much. I promise I will update soon!

 

* * *

 Glitter Keith!!! 

 <https://all-the-fandom.tumblr.com/post/160397566445/please-dont-judge-i-legit-drew-this-on-my-cracked> 

* * *

"Good morning Princess!!" Lance smiled at his boyfriend as he caught up to him that morning in the hallway, they were both on their way to breakfast. 

 

"Lance would you lay off the nickname? It's getting old. Besides I have no idea why you keep using it!" Keith narrowed his eyed with a tired sigh, running a hand through his hair before dragging it down his face, trying to wake up. 

 

"I use it because you're a princess." Lance contiued to tease Keith, knowing the nickname irritated him and not caring. Having been dating for a little under two months, Lance had grown accustomed to the pet name, and often found himself using it, much to Keith's annoyance. 

 

"Just because you 'kissed me awake' does not mean I'm a princess Lance." He did not need Lance's teasing antics this early in the morning. 

 

"Oh no baby. That was the start of it, but you're so dramatic, high-maintenance, and bossy that you are most definitely a princess." 

 

"High maintenance!?! You're the high maintenance one! You use face masks and pout every time you don't get your way! You're so needy! If anyone here is princess it would be you!!" Keith was awake now, and he was beyond done. He wanted this stupid nickname gone. Now. 

 

"Oh no way, Keith. You got it all wrong. See, I'm so gay, I'm a fucking Queen, Bitch. And this throne isn't big enough for two. Hence, why you're a princess. I out rank your ass." Lance sassily snapped after correcting Keith. 

 

"Like Hell! Shiro chose me to lead this team in case something happens. That means that I outrank your ass! If anyone is queen it's me!" 

 

"Umm..... What's going on guys?" Pidge had heard the shouting form their room, and - having a secret love for drama - decided to see what was going on. Everyone was more or less used to raised voices between Lance and Keith, the two always being competative even while they are dating, but Pidge wanted to be sure everything was okay between them. 

 

"He said I-was a princess-that he outranks me!" They both turned to Pidge, shouting simultaneously. Pidge couldn't tell who was saying what, and had to take a step back due to the onslaught of words and complaints. 

 

"Slow down. You two having your first couples fight or something?" 

 

"Lance won't drop a nickname I hate." Keith crossed his arms, throwing Lance a narrow-eyed glare. 

 

"That's cuz it's accurate!" Lance defended. 

 

"What is it?" Now Pidge was curious, they wondered what nickname could upset Keith so much.

 

"Princess, Keith is such a princess!" Lance smiled triumphant. He was so proud of his nickname for Keith. 

 

"No. Im. Not." And just like that the two were back to yelling at each other, and ignoring Pidge. 

 

"I already claimed queen!"

 

"But I out rank you!"

 

"OKAY! GUYS! Listen, if anyone is queen it's Coran. Now, Lance, respect Keith's wish and drop the nickname. And Keith, you two are equals, act like it. You don't out rank him until you became leader. Not before. Now as much as I love drama I have more important shit to do. Behave." This wasn't as exciting as they had originally hoped, and after yelling at the two idiots, they left to go do their own thing. 

 

"Pidge is right. I hate it when they are right." Keith watched Pidge's retreating back until they were out of sight. 

 

"But you're still a princess." Lance was not giving up on his teasing. 

 

"Fuck you, Lance. Why am I even dating you again?" The fight was gone from Keith, he just sighed and ran a hand down his face again. He really wanted breakfast. 

 

"Um... because of the first part of what you just said?" Lance was adamant about winning this, giving Keith his most flirtatious and suggestive look he had. 

 

"The first part of what I said will not be happening again if you keep using that nickname." The words were barely out of his mouth before Lance was backtracking, face shock personified. 

 

"What?? Okay! Okay! Nickname gone!"

 

"There see? That wasn't so hard, was it, Princess?" Keith praticaally cooed at his boyfriend.

 

"Wah- that's not fair! You can use it and I can't?"

 

"Yes. And you can't stop me. You know just as well as I do that you're too needy to even try and threaten me with no sex. So yupp. Paybacks a bitch."

 

"Ugghhhhh fiiiiinnnneeee," Lance whined, deciding to lose this battle so he could win the next. He would extract his revenge on his boyfriend somehow. He had patience, and was incrediblely stubborn when it came to competitions. Time was on his side. 

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

"LLLLAAAAAANNNNNCCCCCEEEEEEE!?!" Keith's voice coould be heard throughout the castle, causing everyone to jump simutaneously. Well, everyone except Lance who shrunk down into his seat with a wicked grin, as fear tinged his eyes.

 

The group was seated around the table for dinner, and had been enjoying their mean - Hunk had prepared it with care - when Keith had momentarily left. Believing he was going to the bathroom, Lance wasn't worried, and had continued eating his dinner with care. However, the moment he heard Keith call his name, he knew he was dead. It was about two weeks since their little "fight" over the nickname, and Keith had almost instantly dropped calling Lance Princess. He said something along the lines of not liking pet names as an explanation. However, Lance was set on getting pay back, and he had set his plan for tonight. Apparently, Keith found his surprise early. 

 

"What did you do, Lance?" Shiro asked, eye brow raised with thinning patience. As much of an older brother and child he could be at times, Shiro's patience levels still ran thin when it came to Lance's pranks on team members, especially Keith. 

 

"Nothing bad! Well, nothing tooo bad. I just... I may have, um, left Keith a present." It was that moment a furious Keith decided to storm back into the room, absolutely drenched in glitter. "Well, I will see you all in the next life," Lance said before racing out of the other door, Keith following close behind. Glitter, and confusion was left in their wake, and all the others could do was laugh, while Shiro just groaned and let his head fall onto the table in defeat. He better not be cleaning glitter off of everything for the next two years. 

 

When Keith finally caught up to Lance, they had managed to run through every room in the castle, covering everything in a thin layer of glitter from their struggles. They had made a circle, and were now back in Keith's bedroom. Lance paused in the doorway for a moment, taking in the sight before him. The door was wide open, an empty bucket - except for trace remains of glitter along the sides and at the bottom -lay a few paces in front of him, and the floor was covered in glitter.  

 

"YOU SONOFABITCH!" Keith yelled as he tackled Lance to the glittered covered floor, the two rolling around until Lance was pinned under keith. "You are so going to pay for this you bastard! You FUCKING KNOW glitter sticks to everything and that I FUCKING HATE IT!" He continued to ramble on to Lance as he used one hand, the other held Lance's hands down, to take handfulls of glitter from the floor and work them into Lance's hair. 

 

"No - Fuck - SHIT! OKAY I'M SORRY! JUST STOP PUTTING IT IN MY HAIR KEITH!" Before Keith could tell Lance just how much he was going to make his boyfriend pay for this, the rest of the team finally decided to check in on the "happy couple". 

 

"OH MY GOD! It looks like these two had a party tornado blow through here! I thought the castle was bad, but this is like twenty times worse!" Pidge's voice cuased the boys to jump apart, momentarily haulting Keith's revenge plan, and dampering his anger.

 

"This is unbelievable! You are both Paladins of Voltron, not mongrels! Get up right now and clean up this mess! I expect the Castle to be spotless within two vargas!" Allura scolded them both before telling Coran to oversee their clean up process. The two were immediately ushered into cleaning, starting with Keith's room. It didn't take long once they got past their snide comments and passive agressively throwing glitter, bubbles, water, and cleaning rags at each other. They finished in a little over one and a half vargas. 

 

"Great job boys! I don't believe the castle has ever looked cleaner!" Coran gazed at their good work before heading off to tell Allura that they were done. The moment he was out of sight Lance dumped the bucket of soapy water onto Keith's head, who gasped and sputtered before spinning around, anger re-lit. Before he could do so much as glare at Lance, he was suddenly being pulled into a very, very heated kiss. 

 

"You looked a little hot, so I thought I would cool you down," Lance explained when he pulled away. Keith just groaned at the terrible pick-up line, resting his forehead on his boyfriend's chest.

 

"That was terrible... but thank you." Lance could feel Keith's smile as the latter placed a soft kiss over his heart. "But I am not cleaning up all of this water. That is soley on you while I go shower." He kissed Lance on the cheek, ignoring his pouty groans of protest, before sauntering out of the room. He quickly got ready for his shower, stepping in, and turned the water on, only to be met with slime instead of water. After slipping, almost dying, and using all of his restraint to not go kill Lance, Keith finally managed to flush out all of the slime, and get the hot water to return. What was supposed to be a relaxing shower, turning into game plan, and prank-schemeing time.

 

Keith wasn't about to just let Lance win this. Not. At. All. 

 

He followed the Glitter Prank with the Butter Prank, which Lance followed with the Sugar Prank, which led to the Strobe Lights Prank, and then the Paint Prank. And well, needless to say, Shiro put a ban on prank wars after both Pidge and Hunk came to him complaining about the Picture and the Spider pranks. Which was for the best, the next two pranks that had been planned were the Snake Prank and the Nightmare Prank. Thankfully, once Shiro stopped the civil war between the two, Lance and Keith found a way to move past their grudges and repair their relationship, eventhough they both knew it had never really been in need of repair. 

 

* * *

 


	3. Forever with You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith talk about their past, and their future.

* * *

"You know.... sometimes I forget about everything we've been through... and when I remember, I'm just in awe of how far we've come." Lance continued to run his fingers through Keith's hair as his boyfriend rested his head on his chest. They were both currently trying to take a nap on Lance's bed, and had been quietly listening to each other breathe until Lance broke the silence. Keith just furrowed his brows in confusion.

 

"How the Hell do you forget about everything we've been through? You know, it was only a vast majority of our lives for a bit, Lance." Despite his words being sharp, his voice matched Lance's whispered tone, neither one wanting to truly disturb the quiet in the room. 

 

"I don't know... it's just, it's easy for me, I guess. I mean, all I have to do is look at you." Keith could feel his heart speed up, as Lance gently placed a kiss to the top of his head. 

 

"What?" If Lance had not moved his head closer to kiss Keith, he would have missed the word Keith breathed out. He chuckled softly, pulling Keith in closer before tracing patterns along his arm, and across his back, absentmindedly. It was a habit he had formed during their cuddle and nap sessions; a habit Keith silently loved. 

 

"Yeah. I mean... I look at you, and all I see is the future - our future," Lance paused for a moment, suddenly less confident in how Keith will respond to what he has to say. Lance has the unfortunate habit of rambling when he gets nervous, and that's exactly what he started to do. "I look at you, and all I know is how much I want a future with you in it." 

 

"Lance..."

 

"Like I know Zarkon and all of that wasn't that long ago, and I know we've only been together for a little while, well it has been five months, three weeks, two days, and about twelve hours, but I just can't see a future without you in it Keith, and -"

 

"Lance! Jeeze. Breathe. Just breathe for a moment And let me speak. Stop rambling." Keith sat up, stradled his boyfriend's waist, and held Lance's face between his hands, forcing his boyfriend to look at him and stop talking. 

 

"Sorry..." Lance whispered, eyes not meeting keith's. 

 

"Its okay, Blue." The use of the one nickname Keith had for Lance, other than when he used Princess out of spite, made the latter look up at his boyfriend, who was smiling down at him. "I understand what you're saying. I - I can't see a future - I don't want a future - without you in it either," Keith admitted firmly, not breaking eye contact with Lance. 

 

"Y-you... really? You want that too?"

 

"Yeah Lance. Yeah, I do. I want it because I-" Keith bit his lip before he blushed, leaned foreward, and hid his face on Lance's chest. After a moment, face still burried in his boyfriend's chest, he added, "because... IwantitbecauseIloveyou!" 

 

"Wait, what-?" It was Lance's turn to lift his boyfriend's face up to look at him. "What did you just say Keith?" Lance gave him a reassuring smile when Keith opened his mouth but hesitated. His right hand cup the side of Keith's face, while the other hand found its way down to cover the hand Keith had placed over Lace's heart. Finally, Keith nodded and then repeated what he said, slowly this time. 

 

"I want it because I love you."

 

"You love me?" Lance couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face, nor the teasing tone his words held. The nerves inside Keith made his tone flat, and his reply was deadpanned. 

 

"Yes." 

 

"Really?" Lance loved the sound of those words coming from Keith, and the way he would get that much more flustered each time he repeated them. 

 

"How many times do I have to say it? Yes, I fucking love you, Princess." 

 

"I-I love you too, Keith. And you better be saying that for as long as we have a future."

 

"I'll say for as long and longer, Blue. I fucking love you."

* * *

 


	4. Dance with Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance stumbles upon an oldie but goodie song (thanks to Hunk) that he believes is an accurate representation of his relationship with Keith. So of COURSE he makes his boyfriend dance to it with him. Memories right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song I used is called "I Hate Everything About You" by Three Days Grace.

* * *

 "Whatcha listening to Hunk? Anything good?" 

 

"For the last time Lance, you only like one, ONE, of my playlists, and it is not this one. I am not going to play my music out loud just so you can criticize it." 

 

"What if I promise to give it an honest try and leave if I don't like it?" 

 

"Can't you go bug that boyfriend of your's or something? I am trying to cook here. It requires focus and talent, not distractions."

 

"But I'm booorrreeeddd Hunk! Like, sssooooooo booooorrrrreeeddd. And Keith is training. It was fun to watch for the first hour, but now its the third and I am so bored! Come on. I promise I will just sit here quietly if you play your music out loud!"

 

"Fine, but you better keep that promise!" Hunk pulled his headphones out of his ears as he approached the island counter. With a sigh he put his headphones in his pocket and turned the volume up on his phone, setting it down on an unused section of the counter top. "No changing the music either. And don't touch my phone," he added as an after thought when Lance eyed his phone with mischevious eyes. 

 

"Okay fine. No touching. Got it," he confirmed, hands raised in surrender and innocence. Hunk nodded and pressed play on his phone's screen before returning to cooking. The song he had been listeneing to was just ending, and the lyrics filled the quiet kitchen before fading to a close. The next song started soon after.

 

_Every time we lie awake_

_After every hit we take_

_Every feeling that I get_

_But I haven't missed you yet_

 

Hunk laughed, tuning around to face Lance. "What luck, Lance. I think you might actually like this one. It kinda reminds me of you and Keith." He smiled, chuckling again, before resuming his work on that night's dinner. Lance immediately perked up at the mention of Keith, and started to pay attention to lyrics. Hunk of course noticed and added, "It's the chorus mainly, but I guess the whole song kinda fits for you two. But pay close attention to the chorus." Lance just nodded, too focused on the task at hand. 

 

_Every roommate kept awake by_

_Every sigh and scream we make_

_All the feelings that I get_

_But I still don't miss you yet_

 

"Here comes the chorus," Hunk managed to inform Lance as he chopped up some kind of vegetable. 

 

_Only when I start to think about it_

_I hate everything about you_

_Why do I love you_

_You hate everything about me_

_Why do you love me_

 

"OH MY GOD HUNK THIS IS PERFECT!" Lance was out of his seat and pausing the music in a flurry. "I must know what this song is! What song is this?" He rambled on, trying to get into Hunk's phone to see the song title. Hunk just walked over and swiped his phone back with ease.

 

"You promised to stay quiet and not touch my phone," he gently reminded his overly excited friend. 

 

"I know I did Hunk, but this is important! I need to know the name of that song!"

 

"Its called 'I hate everything about you' by Three Days Grace. Why is this so important?"

 

"Hunk, I need a favor. Can I pleeeaaassseee borrow your phone - more specifically the song - so I can show Keith this? He needs to hear this right away! Its too perfect to not show him."

 

"You know what? Sure. Here, take my phone, go find your boyfriend, and tell me everything that happens when you bring it back. That's my terms and conditions. I want details."  Hunk smirked as he handed his phone over to his best friend. 

 

"Details. You got it. Thank, Hunk!" Lance thanked him as he grabbed the phone and sprinted out of the kitchen. It didn't take long to track down Keith; he had finished training and had just returned to his room. 

 

"KEITH! Okay Hunk just showed me something and I HAVE to show you!" Lance bounded into the room, already trying to tell Keith everything at once. 

 

"Lance, I love you, but I just finished training. I'm tired and really want a shower. Can this wait?" 

 

"Huh? Oh um... yeah, I guess it could wait," Lance agreed, his excitement and enthusiasm leaving him. 

 

"Hey now. I'm not saying no. Of course I want you to show me whatever it is that has you this excited. I just need a shower and a quick nap first okay?" Keith tried to reassure his pouting boyfriend. Lance wasn't sensitive per se, but he couldn't always help the feeling of being ignored or considered not that important to others. Keith of course knew this, and wanted to make sure that Lance knew Keith was interested in whatever he would show him. 

 

"I know. It's okay." Lance smiled at him, trying to show Keith that yes, he really was okay with waiting. 

 

"Are you busy? You can always join me if you want," Keith offered, and he immediately groaned internally at his mistake. Lane's face lit up, a sly smirk replacing his smile, but before he had a chance to speak, Keith quickly added, "For the nap you pervert! You are not showering with me." Lance's face turned into a pout again, and the longer Keith glared at him, the more dramatic he became. Finally Lance relented.

 

"Okay fine. You go take your shower. I'll wait till you're done, there is no way I'm passing up a cuddle session!" Keith was tired and ended up taking a very sort shower, wanting to just get in bed. When came back, Lance was already laying in his bed, listening to music... on Hunk's phone? /Wait why does Lance... oh nevermind, it doesn't matter./ He was too tired to question why Lance had Hunk's phone, and settled for crawling into bed beside him. He snuggled up to his side, finding comfort in the steady rhythm of Lance's heart beat and the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Keith was out the moment Lance started to run a hand through his hair and trace up and down his back. 

 

Lance wasn't that tired and decided to cuddle with a sleeping Keith; he would show him the song when he woke up. However, after a half an hour of listening to the song on repeat, an idea slowly formed in his mind. /What if I... Yeah I like that idea./ He thought, an excited grin spreading across his face. His decision made, he silently got out of bed, careful not to wake Keith, and slipped out of the room. He knew that Keith would come looking for him when he woke up alone, a mental image that made Lance feel guilty, but decided that this new idea would make up for it, at least he hoped so. 

 

It didn't take Lance long to collect a speaker system from Pidge, along with flowers and candles from Allura and Coran - both of whom told him to _not_   burn down the castle. He managed to escape with them after promising he won't at least ten times. He dropped the items off in his room before making sure Keith was still asleep, and once he had confirmed this, he got to work. He set up the speaker system and connected Hunk's phone. He tested the music to be sure it would play decently, and then moved on to decorating his room. He placed some of the flowers along the tops of his shelves and dressers, and then pulled the petals off of the extras so he could scatter them across the floor. He couldn't help but place a few on his bed too. I mean, he was a cheesy, over dramatic, romantic at heart. When he was done, he gave the room a last run down before deciding he was satisfied. Now all he had to do was wait for Keith, and he didn't have to wait long. 

 

His boyfriend had a habit of taking, on average, two hour naps. Lance had started working a half hour after Keith had fallen asleep, and had spent about an hour and fourty-five minutes setting up. Keith showed up about five minutes later. The moment he walked into Lance's room his jaw dropped. 

 

"Um, Lance? What's all this?"

 

"This was a last minute 'Just Because' surprise I decided to do for you. Now come here, I want to show you what I was talking about earlier." Keith hesitantly made his way over to Lance, eyeing the flowers and candles with curiosity and slight suspicion. When he was finally standing in front of Lance, the latter stepped aside to reveal the stereo system connected to the phone. 

 

"Hunk played this for me earlier, and well, after he mentioned how well this described us, I couldn't help but play it for you too. So um, yeah... uh here. Listen." Lance bashfully told Keith the background behind the song before quickly pressing play, not giving Keith any time to prepare or reply. Keith, due to the atmosphere in the room, had been expecting a slow love song, or the equivalent, and was slightly surprised when a slow, but upbeat song began to play. 

  

_Every time we lie awake_

_After every hit we take_

_Every feeling that I get_

_But I haven't missed you yet_

 

 "What is this Lance?" He asked, skeptical of the song already.

 

_Every roommate kept awake by_

_Every sigh and scream we make_

 

"Shhh. Just give a shot. You have to wait for the chorus, its coming up in a second." Lance repeated what Hunk had told him. Keith sighed, but nodded, focusing on the song again for Lance's sake.

 

_All the feelings that I get_

_But I still don't miss you yet_

 

Lance started to bounce in place, not taking his eyes off of Keith as he waited for his boyfriend's reaction. 

 

_Only when I start to think about it_

_I hate everything about you_

_Why do I love you_

_You hate everything about me_

_Why do you love me_

Lance paused the song after the chorus finished and turned to Keith, awaiting his reaction. "Well...? What did you think?" He asked. Keith looked at him, his face expressionless.

 

"Well... I mean, it wasn't terrible..." He started, pausing when Lance's face fell to disappointment. 

 

"You hate it."

 

"No Lance, I'm sorry. I was just messsing with you. I actually love it! I mean, yes this isn't the type of music I would normally listen to, but you and Hunk are right. This does capture us really well. I love that aspect about it, and I also love it because I can tell that you love it, Blue."

 

"Really?"

 

"Yes, I promise. I love it Blue. Now will you play the song again? I want to listen to the whole thing all the way through." He kissed Lance before smiling as he gently nudged so he would restart the song.

 

"Only if you dance with me." Lance winked at him, finger hovering over the play button.

 

"What?"

 

"Dance with me Keith. Come on."

 

"How are we supposed to dance to this song?"

 

"Its not that fast. We can make it work, I promise. Let's give it a try!"

 

"Okay fine. But only because you put so much effort into this." Keith laughed when Lance punched the air, and did a small dance in victory.

 

"Yes! Now," Lance started, starting the song over and finally pressing play, "may I have the honor of this dance?" He bowed slightly, holding his hand out in invitation for Keith to accept. He looked up at his boyfriend with the smile of a kid in a candy shop as he waited, the music continuing to play in the back ground. 

 

"Of course, I accept," Keith answered, placing his hand in Lance's. He was led to the center of the room, the only part of the floor not covered in rose petals he noticed, and the two faced each other, smiles bright. Lance wrapped his arms around Keith's wait as Keith drapped his around Lance's neck as the chorus ended and the second half of the sonf started up.

 

_Every time we lie awake_

_After every hit we take_

_Every feeling that I get_

_But I haven't missed you yet_

 

It was awkward at first, trying to slow dance to a faster song, but soon the two were laughing and swaying to the music at their own pace. When the chorus started back up again, the two immediately took turns singing to each other, Lance taking the first section.

 

"Only when I stop to think about it, I hate everything about you, Why do I love you? I hate everything about you, Why do I love you?" Lance made sure to emphasize every word by making the most ridiculous faces to Keith, most of which were over dramaticly offended. Keith couldn't stop the smile on his face as Lance sang the next lyrics. "Only when I start to think about you I know..."

 

"Only when you start to think about me do you know..." Keith followed without missing a beat, earning a happy kiss from Lance before he continued singing.

 

"I hate everything about you, Why do I love you?" The two continued to sway to the music, foreheads pressed together, eyes locked on each other.

 

"You hate everything about me, Why do you love me?" They stopped swaying, too lost in laughter and unable to stay serious any longer. Keith's energy had grown, feeding off of Lance's upbeat enthusiasm, causing them to almost scream the ending of the song to each other; both partaking in the use of overdramatic gestures.

 

"I hate-" Keith glared at Lance.

"You hate-" Lance just blew him a kiss in reply.

"I hate-" Keith flipped him off with a playful smirk.

"You love me-" Lance smirked back, using Keith as a pole to dance.

"I hate everything about you-" He sang as he pushed his boyfriend away.

"Why do I love you?" Lance pouted as the song came to an end, pretending to be hurt that Keith pushed him away. Keith walked over to the phone and paused the next song before it could start playing, before walking back over to Lance. He put his arms around his neck again, aligning their bodies.

 

"Thank you for the surprise, Blue. I loved it," he whispered between them.

 

"Yeah? You really liked it?" Lance smiled, pleased Keith didn't end up hating the song.

 

"Yes. You know, I actually love it, almost as much as I hate you," he teased.

 

"Hey!" Lance objected with a laugh, placing a hand over his heart, feigning hurt.

 

"You know I love you, Blue."

 

"Yeah, I know. I love you too, Princess." Keith just rolled his eyes before laughing, pullling Lance in for another kiss.

 

This was the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. The one person who could press all of his buttons just right and get him all worked up over nothing, was also the same person who would calm him down when he was worried. Lance might have been his greatest rival at first, but now he was Keith's greatest treasure, and he would burn the world before he let any harm come to the one person who he could finally love unconditionally, and be loved in return. 

* * *


	5. You're My Whole World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance has a moment of depression and sorrow because he misses Earth. Keith has an idea of how to cheer him up. Fluff!!

* * *

            Images danced behind Lance’s closed eyes; memories of home. _His mother’s patient and loving smile as he wrestled with his brother and his siblings watched on with amusement and humor. His father’s proud clasp on his shoulder after Lance helped him with work all day. The dark rooms, illuminated by the moonlight streaming in through the partially closed blinds and the glow stars stuck to the ceiling, as his siblings whispered with him late into those summer nights. The younger ones crawling into his bed during the winter because they were cold, and bringing all their blankets too until they were all wrapped up in layers of blankets like a “burrrr-ito” as Lance joked. The snowball fights. The picnics his mother loved and dragged the complaining-but-secretly-happy-family along on. Lance used to pick the flowers in the meadow for his mother, and they would always grace the table until they died._

            They were all memories of love, and family. All memories of _home_.

            His eyes started to burn as he stared at his ceiling; watching the ghostly outline of a spider web dance from the wind of his breath. How a spider ever found its way onto the Castle, Lance didn’t know, but he was curious when the last time the castle was cleaned. _Prank wars._ His brain helpfully reminded him. _That was ages ago._ His vision went dark, and his eyes stopped burning, as he replayed the memories of pranking Keith. He didn’t fight the smile as it slowly tugged at the corners of his mouth. The small chuckle bubbled its way out before he could stop it when he recalled Keith being covered in glitter. _He was so angry. Yet I could still see the love in his eyes; the way they burned with a challenge and not hatred. It’s the same look my mother used to give my father when they started to argue about mundane things. He always knew how to push her buttons, and she always rose to the challenge. And yet, their love never faltered. It always burned brighter then whatever anger they felt for the other._

            The ceiling was back, the burning in his eyes present again, this time accompanied by a wetness on his cheeks. He blinked, again, once more. Eyes closed. Nope, open. The memories were still fresh in his mind, the smiles of his family visible behind closed eyes. There was a weight on his chest, and his sigh carried a pained undertone, as he wiped away his tears. The gray of the ceiling above him seemed to darken as his mind continued to send pain down to his heart. Not wanting to stare at his dismal ceiling, and knowing sleep wouldn’t come to him tonight, he decided a walk might help to clear his mind.

             He sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of his bed before pausing. His hand found its way down his face, and then went back up to run through his hair. With another drawn out sigh, Lance pushed himself up, off his bed. He turned and pulled the blanket off his bed, wrapping it loosely around his shoulders, before silently leaving his room. All the other paladins had retired to their rooms hours ago, and were asleep by now. Lance knew from experience; this wasn’t the first time he had taken a midnight walk due to memories and heartache. And just like the previous times, Lance found himself walking down the hallway towards the control room; it has the largest windows that always helped to calm him down.  

             His feet made no noise as he walked down the hall, a habit he picked up from sneaking up on his siblings to scare them. His hand darted up, stabilizing him as he leaned against the wall. His other hand held his blanket to his face, muffling tiny sobs that escaped his throat. His blanket was soaked when he finally moved it away from his face. He breathed deeply a few times and then resumed his walk. With each step he took, the hallway seemed to grow longer – the walls pressing in, as memories of home haunted him. His chest started to constrict his breathing. It was too much.

             Too much pain.

                      Too little space.

                               He needed out.

He didn’t know he had started running, until he was panting in front of the windows.

            They were huge. Spanning beyond his peripheral vision on both sides, they allowed him to view the vastness of space without hindrance. Allura used to close the “blinds” on them at night, until Coran found him staring at them one night, imagining space. Tired and homesick, Lance had confided in Coran, telling him about how space and stars had always helped him to calm down. Coran had just smiled, sad but knowing, and opened the blinds. He never mentioned their talk afterwards, though the blinds were never closed at night again. And if he ever stumbled upon a somber Lance, Coran always reminded him that while the Castle wasn’t Earth, he hoped that Lance knew that Coran considered him family. Yet, despite how much Lance appreciated the gesture, it didn’t stop homesickness from creeping its way into his heart and consuming his soul.

            But space helped. Looking out into the vastness, and knowing that his family was out there, well, it was soothing. The stars would twinkle and dance just like they do in the night sky, but there were more of them. He sat down in front of the windows, wrapped in his blanket, and lost in his thoughts. Sometimes, like tonight, if he really needed to sort through his emotions and thoughts, he would talk to the void.

            “Hey… I-it’s me again,” he whispered into the night. Despite knowing that he wouldn’t wake the others even if he shouted, the atmosphere of the room at night was calm and quiet. It was peaceful in a way, and Lance didn’t want to ruin it; he whispered out of respect. “It’s nice you know – talking to you. It might sound crazy, but it just feels like you have this atmosphere or, or… I don’t know how to describe it… but it feels like you are really listening to me. A-and it’s nice. To finally be acknowledged… I mean, I love my friends, don’t get me wrong, but I just feel like they brush me off sometimes. It’s hard to talk about the things that bother me, when I feel like the person – or people – I am talking to, aren’t really listening to me.” Lance sighed, eyes drifting to the floor momentarily, they returned to the stars when he continued on.

           “Shiro is great. He’s basically an older brother, and he does try. But I’m just… he’s so busy making sure everything is going okay, and he has troubles of his own, and I just – I don’t want to bother him with my problems when he has plenty of his own. And Coran is cool too. But it just feels like he doesn’t understand sometimes. I feel so sorry for him and Allura, but losing your family for good, and being separated from then and knowing that one day you could return, are two different things. It’s a different pain in the chest, one he isn’t familiar with. And I am, really, I am thankful for all he has done for me, but this just isn’t something I can go to him about. Same with Allura, she just doesn’t understand.

             Hunk is a wonderful friend, but he is always so busy. We were – are, sorry – best friends. And I mean, I do tell him when I get homesick, but he just spews the same old, ‘I know, Lance, but the universe needs Voltron, and one day we will be able to return. I miss it too, and I know it’s hard, but you just have to remember all of the good that we do, and the family we created here.’ And yeah, he’s right, but it’s just so _god damn hard._ I probably sound so childish right now.” Lance let out all the air he had been holding in while talking until his chest strained, and he breathed in. He did it two more times. “And Pidge. Well, I can’t talk to them without feeling guilty, because at least I know my family is alright, and where they are. But Pidge still has Matt and their dad, somewhere out there, and who knows how he’s doing. So yeah… Can’t really talk to them, either.”

             “And then there’s Keith.” He smiled at the floor, a picture of Keith laughing danced in his mind. “I love him, I really do.” His eyes drifted back up to the stars, and his voice returned from dreamy to have the weary sadness lace his words. “I-I just don’t want to worry him. He cares about Matt too, and stuff, and plus, he’s never really had like ‘a real family’. I just don’t want to rub it in that I do. I just… It feels wrong to complain about having a family to someone who’s never known what it’s like. And it also means that he doesn’t really understand this either. And I know that I should talk to him, that because he’s my boyfriend we should work through this together. I understand that we should be each other’s support systems… But is it really supporting each other if one of us suffers to help raise the other up? No. I won’t drag Keith down with extra worry, and problems, and stuff, just so I can feel better about my own shitty situation.”

             “So here I am, the seventh wheel, sitting here in the middle of the night, talking to an endless void, because I don’t want to dump all of my emotional baggage onto my friends.” The laugh that forced its way out of Lance was broken and weary – and was followed by a few tears. “But it sucks how you take in my words and never give me an answer. I know you’re a void, but are you really void of everything – answers included? How can I repeatedly sit here, night after night, filled with emotion, pouring all of it into you, and you still be void of everything…” His voice trailed off as the sobs took over his body. His shoulders shook, face buried in his blanket – uncaring of how soaked it had gotten.

             “Lance?” The voice was barely above a whisper, but it made Lance’s head shoot up, and he quickly wiped away the tears from his face. “Lance?” The person asked again. The voice was coming from the doorway, and Lance knew that they could see him.

             “Yeah?” He didn’t turn around, but he could tell the person slowly entered the room after receiving a reply. They stopped halfway between him and the door.

             “Lance, it’s me – Keith. C-Can I come sit?” Keith’s voice was hesitant, but earnest. He knew that he had interrupted Lance during a private moment, but he wanted to make sure his boyfriend was okay. However, if Lance needed his time alone, Keith would understand.

             “Um, yeah… that’s fine.” Lance slowly nodded his head. Even though he has trouble talking to Keith about his problems, his boyfriend’s presence never stops being soothing. Keith nodded his head at Lance’s words, more for himself than Lance as he couldn’t see Keith, and then walked over to Lance. He slowly sat down to the right of his boyfriend, and stared out at the stars; he decided to let Lance speak, or remain quiet if that’s what he needed. Lance gently extended his right hand, silently offering to share his blanket. Keith glanced down at his hand, and, smiling slightly, scooted closer so they could share. He took the blanket from Lance and wrapped it around his shoulder – if he could feel how soak it was, he made no comment. The two of them sat there, huddled together, shoulders connecting them where words couldn’t, staring out at the stars. Finally, Lance broke the silence with a soft, hesitant whisper.

            “How long were you there for?” Keith looked over at him, but Lance’s gaze was fixed on the stars before them. He studied his boyfriend’s face as he answered.

            “Not long… Lance, is everything okay?” Lance closed his eyes, trying to stop the tears them threatened to spill. He tried to tell Keith everything was fine, but his voice choked up, and the words died before they could even form. Instead he used his head, but his nodding turned into shaking his head no, and the tears spilled over. Keith’s reaction was almost instantaneous – he wrapped his left arm around Lance’s shoulders, pulling him until his boyfriend was pressed against his side with his head on Keith’s shoulder. With his other hand, he gently ran his fingers through Lance’s hair, letting the tears fall unhindered. Keith just held him close as Lance sobbed into his shoulder, pressing kisses to the top of his head; he never said a word, knowing Lance needed to just let it all out. When he finally calmed down – his sobs turning into heavy breathing – Lance tried to speak.

            “I-I’m s-sorry–“ His voice was hoarse, and a sob cut his sentence short.

            “Shhh. It’s okay Lance. It’s okay to cry, and please, don’t apologize to me. I’ll always be here if you need something. You don’t need to feel guilty for talking to me about issues that upset you. It’s my job to help you get through the battles of life. Please let me help you.” Keith placed another kiss on Lance’s head, and his boyfriend relaxed into his embrace a little more before trying to talk again.

            “But…” It was weak, a half-hearted attempt at a protest, and Keith quickly shushed him again.

            “Shhh, Lance. It’s okay. We can talk about this later.” But apparently ‘later’ to Lance was about the two minutes it took for his voice to come back.

            “I name them sometimes…” Keith was about to shush him again, but decided against it – if Lance needed to talk, he would listen. Especially after accidentally overhearing half of Lance’s monologue.

            “Name what?” Keith hummed in reply, curious.

            “The stars. Sometimes I would name them after memories. Each star would become a reason why I missed home. A reminder of the happy times I had with my family. I would turn them into symbols – the stars would burn as bright as my happiness and love for each memory. And I would sit here and relive those days. Or I would make new constellations like I used to do with my siblings back home. Create our own backstories and legends for them. Sometimes it helps.

             O-other times, I name them after each member of my family, and then talk to them all night. I tell them about my life and all of the adventures we have up here. About Pidge and their love for electronics. How they bonded with Hunk over that so fast. About Shiro and how he’s battling Coran, unknowingly, for the title of space dad. I tell them about the bad things too – like how we can’t find Matt and Zarkon wants to rule the universe. But I always end with a funny story, Keith. That’s important. They love funny stories, and its bad luck to leave the room in a dark mood. You have to end happy.” Lance paused for a minute, eyes glassy with tears again, but he continued on.

            “I told my family about us, Keith. I told them all about how amazing you are. How we used to not get along, fight all the time, and stuff. But now we are really close. I want you to meet them one day. They would love you, my mom especially. I-I want to bring you home Keith – to the family. Like how you’re supposed to do in a normal relationship. Have you meet my siblings, and my parents – I would finally be able to introduce you as my boyfriend. It would make my mother so happy. She was right, you know. She always said that I would fall for the person I least expected to love. What’s more least expected than to fall for the person you used to hate? Yeah, she’s always been scary accurate about things like that… that’s why I-I have to t-tell her… I have to… I have to believe that the stars will deliver my messages. I need them to know I’m okay! I’m not dead, Keith! They need to know, I’m not dead!” Lance’s breathing was frantic and irregular again, and his words died off, voiced choked once again by broken sobs.

             “Shhh. It’s okay, Lance. Just shhh. Relax…. I’m right here, I’ve got you, it’s okay…. Just breathe, okay? Yeah just like that…. Good job. Keep breathing…” Keith kept whispering hushed, soothing words into Lance’s hair until he finally relaxed against him, his breathing even again. The two stayed there, watching the stars float in an endless void, tears silently running down both of their faces, until Lance fell asleep. Keith carried him back to his room with ease. Lance’s bed was barely big enough to fit them both, but Keith made it work. He cuddled up to Lance, letting him rest his head on his chest. Usually their cuddle sessions had them switched – Keith cuddled against Lance’s side, head on his chest, and legs tangled together. But tonight, Keith cradled Lance against him, Lance’s head on Keith’s chest, his arm wrapped around Lance’s back, tracing lines and patterns, their legs tangled together. _Tomorrow,_ Keith thought, _I am going to find a way, to help Lance feel better about being away from home._ With the thought in his mind, Keith finally allowed the darkness to carry him down into sleep.

* * *

 

            Keith woke up to a numb arm, a sleeping boyfriend, and an urgency in the back of his mind. _Lance. I need a plan for today._ Keith looked down at Lance, hand brushing the hair from his face, and placed a kiss on his forehead. When Lance didn’t stir, Keith’s concern grew; while his boyfriend was never a morning person, he was a relatively light sleeper. For him to not stir even a little at a kiss, meant that he was deep in a much-needed sleep. _When was the last time he got a good night’s rest? Maybe we should take more naps together, that way I know he’s sleeping._ Keith sighed, worry creasing his brow, a small frown on his lips. He shook his head, trying to focus his thoughts. He needed a plan for today, and while the nap idea was good for future reference, he was on a time restraint. His plan needed to be set into motion before Lance woke up. Unsure as to where to start, Keith reached for his phone only to remember he had left it in his room last night.

            With a gentle kiss to Lance’s temple, Keith slowly pried himself away from his overly-cuddly boyfriend, and left the room. Lance of course slept through it all. Keith was halfway to his room when he ran into Allura. After a quick greeting, Keith was about to go on his way when a thought occurred.

            “Hey, Allura?”

            “Yes, Keith?”

            “Does Lance ever talk to you about his family? Or what he misses about Earth?” Allura paused for a minute, caught off guard by the questions. She bit her lip before answering hesitantly.

            “He has never talked to me directly… but the mice have told me a few things they have overheard him say.” Keith nodded, not overly fond of the mice and their love for spying to get the latest gossip and drama, but if Allura could help him, he would take it for now.

            “What have you heard?”

            “It’s a lot of the same, really. Lance misses his home, and his family. He was really close to his siblings, but especially his mother. I guess she used to take the family out on picnics ever spring, though I don’t exactly know what that means. I do hope this helps, Keith. Is everything okay with Lance?”

            “Um, yeah. This helps a lot! Thanks, Allura. And yeah, don’t worry. Lance is just a little homesick, but you just helped me figure out how to cheer him up.” Keith paused for a moment, hoping the idea he was about to propose wasn’t over stepping any boundaries. “Would it be possible to fix the room your father used to be in so the meadow is back?” Allura’s eyes widened before she tilted her head in thought.

            “The meadow was part of my father’s memories. When those were… destroyed, well. I don’t exactly know if it’s possible. If you are looking for my permission to try, you have it, Keith. But I would go talk to Coran. He’s the one who knows how to answer your question, not me.” Her smile was bittersweet, an apology mixed with sympathy. Keith just thanked her and went to find Coran, stopping to grab his phone on the way. He found Coran in the control room, looking at something with Pidge on their screen.

            “Um, Coran? Pidge? Are you two busy?” They turned to him with smiles and a small shake of the head.

            “Nope, not at all. What’s up, Keith?” Pidge beckoned him over and Keith obliged.

            “I had a question for Coran, but maybe you can help too Pidge.”

            “I will answer to the best of my abilities and knowledge,” Coran informed him, enthusiastically pointing a finger in the air as he talked. “What’s your question young man?” Pidge nodded along, silently agreeing to help as well.

            “Well, I asked Allura already, and she didn’t know, and sent me to you with her permission to try this, but I was wondering if it was possible if you could get the meadow up again? The one that used to appear when Allura spoke with her father… Because, well, Lance is feeling kinda homesick, and I thought that if I could bring some Earth to here, he would be happier…” He let his mini speech hang in the air, waiting for a response. Coran hummed to himself, thinking if they could fix it. Pidge was the first to reply.

            “The room works off of memories, and I’m pretty sure everyone saw the meadow. So, Coran, correct me if I’m wrong, but we should be able to get it back by extracting the memory from someone on board.” Coran beamed down at Pidge.

            “Why, yes! I do believe that would work!”

            “You can use my memory.” Keith offered, but Pidge shook their head.

            “It’ll be easier and faster to use Coran’s. But either way, we will do our best to get the meadow working again!”

            “We will do whatever it takes to help Lance feel better.” Coran added. “Come on paladin, let’s get to work!” Coran headed to the meadow room, with Pidge in tow, and Keith smiled. _I am so lucky to have friends like them._ With that part taken care of, Keith stopped by Lance’s room to check on him. By some wonder Lance was still asleep, and while Keith was thankful he didn’t have to stall his boyfriend, and that Lance was getting rest, it still worried him how long Lance was sleeping. He glanced back at Lance one more time before leaving his boyfriend to sleep. Keith eventually found his way into the kitchen, and started looking around, unsure what to pack for the picnic. He had just started to pull out some crackers and snack items when Hunk came in.

            “Hey Keith, what are you up to?”

            “Hey Hunk. Nothing much. Just trying to figure out what I should pack for a picnic.” Keith was staring at two boxes of crackers, trying to decide which one Lance would prefer, and hadn’t thought to watch his words.

            “You’re going on a picnic? With Lance, I’m assuming? Where and why?” Hunk’s excitement was rising, and he wanted details now.

            “Umm, the meadow in Allura’s father’s old room, place, thing, and yeah, with Lance,” he turned to face Hunk, holding up the two boxes, “Which ones? Lance is feeling homesick again and I want to surprise him with this, and I don’t know what food to pack…” Hunk’s eyebrows rose, and his voice became laced with worry.

            “Is he okay?”

            “He’s fine, sleeping it off right now. I want to surprise him when he wakes up.” Hunk nodded, determination setting in.

            “Go comfort Lance. I’ll take care of all the food prep. I’ll find you when it’s done.” Keith looked at him in disbelief.

            “That wasn’t what—”

            “You were trying to get me to do, yea I know. But if Lance isn’t feeling good, I want to help my friend.” Hunk cut Keith off, not wanting him to ruin perfectly good food. “Now I know he needs you, so don’t let him wake up alone. I have this covered. Besides, you’re a horrible cook.” Hunk teased Keith as he gently ushered him from the kitchen. “I’ll get you when everything is ready.” Keith just grumbled but gave in and returned to Lance’s room. Lance stirred as Keith slipped back into bed.

             “Keith?”

             “Yeah it’s me. Shhh Lance, go back to sleep.” Lance hummed sleepily, cuddling back up against Keith, but unfortunately didn’t go back to sleep.

             “Wha ya doin’ up so early?” Keith smiled down at the sleepy Lance who yawned.

             “You’re cute when you’re tired, Blue.” And right on cue, Lance shot up, wide awake.

             “I am _NOT_ cute! Handsome, gorgeous, fabulous? Yes. Cute!?! No!” Lance glared down at his grinning boyfriend before turning his head away, nose in the air, eyes closed, and arms crossed across his chest dramatically.

             “Whatever you say, Princess.” Keith teased, moving to sit up as well. Lance watched him from the corner of his eye before slowly smirking. Keith’s eyes widened and he immediately tried to escape the bed the moment he noticed the mischievous look on Lance’s face, but the blankets hindered his movements, and Lance pounced before Keith found freedom.

              “L-Lance! Ha-ha Come on…. Ha-ha P-Please! S-s-stop! Ha-ha.... Alright! Al- Ha-ha alright! I-I take i-it back! Ha-ha Y-you’re not c-cute!” Lance was merciless, tickling Keith until he had retracted his blasphemous statement and they were both crying from laughter. Only then did he stop the torture and sit back on the bed, letting Keith breathe.

              “Y-you bas-tard.” Keith laughed, still trying to catch his breathe. “Just because you’re not ticklish, doesn’t mean you get to use my weakness against me.”

              “Actually, that’s exactly what I get to do!” Lance beamed at him, rocking forward slightly, proud of the fact that he didn’t share Keith’s weakness. Not being ticklish had been a blessing with all of his siblings. It gave him the upper hand during wrestling matches, and when he wanted to pester his family. The smile faded from his face as the memory tugged at his heart, and he stopped rocking – slouching forward a little instead. Keith immediately picked up on the difference in Lance’s mood, sitting up he gently placed a hand on Lance’s, comfortingly.

               “You okay, Blue?” He asked. _Today is supposed to be happy,_ he thought. Lance smiled at him, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

               “Yeah, I’m okay. I just… I used to tickle my siblings. I’m the only one in my family who isn’t ticklish.” This time his smile was sad, and the laugh that followed was broken, and seemed to Keith, as if it was mocking the fun and care-free laughter they had not two minutes before.

                “Talk to me, Lance. Please.” Keith gently squeezed his hand, making Lance’s eyes fall to their joined hands. Keith used his other hand to lift Lance’s chin, making sure their eyes were locked when he continued. “How can I help you?”

                 “I don’t know, Keith… there’s nothing you can really do…” Lance closed his eyes, but used his free hand to take Keith hand from his chin so he could kiss it. “I know you want to help me feel better, but I don’t think there’s anything you can do. I love you, and I appreciate your support, and just being there for me does help to an extent… But there’s no cure for being homesick, except to go home, and that’s something we can’t do,” his voice trailed off as he sighed; Keith’s hand had moving to cup his cheek now.

                “Just because there’s no cure, doesn’t mean I can’t try to cheer you up!” Lance laughed, sudden but genuine.

                 “Oh you, stubborn ass.” Lance smiled at Keith. “You just won’t listen, will you?” Keith recoiled back as if he had been slapped, eyes wide and hurt, and then – just as suddenly – he leaned forward, grabbed Lance’s chin, and locked their eyes, with his face carefully controlled, but serious. Surprised, Lance let Keith pull him until their foreheads touched, and waited, speechless, for Keith to talk.

                “I _always_ listen to you Lance.” Keith paused, making sure that Lance was listening before he continued. “I know that sometimes it may not seem like it, and that sometimes I do the opposite of what you ask of me, but Lance, _please know_ that I _always_ listen to you. _Always_.”

                  “I’m sorry…” Lance tried to look away as he pulled back from Keith.

                 “No, no. You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m not mad at you, Lance.” Keith followed Lance’s movements, catching his eyes again. “You didn’t know, and my actions weren’t all that reassuring. I’m not great at these things, but I’m trying to apologize here, Blue. I know that sometimes you thought that I haven’t been there – maybe physically, but not mentally – when you needed someone to talk to, and I’m sorry. This is me telling you that I will always listen to you. You are special to me, and I value what we have. If you need to talk, I’ll be right by your side. And if you think I’m not listening to you, just slap me!” Lance laughed at the image of him slapping Keith in front of their friends, surprising everyone, and only saying “What? He told me I could” in his defense – and Keith not being able to be mad at him. Keith smiled at Lance’s outburst, but waited silently for Lance’s reply.

                  “Thank you, Keith. That means a lot, really.” Lance kissed his boyfriend sweetly; not being good with words either and trying to convey how meaningful Keith’s words were.

                   “Look. This is a conversation we need to have, but I am positive that we could both use a break and a small distraction. This conversation won’t go anywhere, and we can resume it when we are both a little more up to it. Okay?” Lance nodded, smiling at his boyfriend’s insight.

                 “You know, Keith, a lot goes over your head sometimes, and yet, you always have this insight and wisdom when I least expect it.”

                  “Was that a compliment? Now I know you are going crazy! Let me go get you some breakfast, and then we can decide what to do today. I’ll be right back. Just stay here and rest – I know you need it.”

                  “Alright, fine. I’ll stay.” Lance flopped back down onto the bed, and blew his boyfriend a kiss as he left. Keith rolled his eyes, blew a kiss back, and then speed-walked to the kitchen; he wasn’t about to leave Lance waiting longer than necessary. When he entered, his tunnel vision caused him to walk right past Hunk, the picnic basket going unnoticed.

                  “Keith! Hey Keith!” Hunk finished putting the last baggie of food into the basket, and walked over to Keith; who proceeded to put a knife to Hunk’s throat when the latter placed a hand on his shoulder. “Woah, Keith buddy, it’s me!” Hunk put his hands in the air, unfazed by his friend’s reaction, and tried to calm him down. It only took Keith a moment to realize who had startled him.

                  “Oh, hey Hunk,” he greeted his friend with an apologetic smile as he lowered his knife and stepped back. “Sorry,” he added, a bit later. Hunk laughed, and just led Keith over to the basket.

                 “You’re done already?”

                   “Yeah. You have perfect timing! I’m assuming you were in here to get Lance breakfast? Well, just have brunch and go on your picnic now.” Keith nodded in agreement with Hunk’s suggestion before thanking him. Hunk just waved him off again, telling him to “Go have some fun, and cheer our friend up!”. Keith promised he would as he dashed back to Lance, basket in his arms. The universe was on his side apparently, because he was almost to the room when he ran into Pidge. He legitimately ran into Pidge. The basket has blocked a lot of his vision, and he hadn’t noticed them walking in the hallway until he had knocked them both to the ground – at least the basket survived the fall.

                 “What the fuck, Keith? Watch where you are going, you idiot!” Pidge scolded him, getting up and making sure they weren’t hurt from the collision.

                  “Oh my god, Pidge, I am so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention, and the basket hid you from sight, and –”

                 “Okay, I get it, you’re sorry. Jeeze, Keith. You don’t have to babble. Look, I’m glad I found you anyway, I came to tell you that Coran and I managed to fix the meadow, and you can have your picnic. The meadow should come up the moment you walk into the room.” Pidge smiled at Keith’s grin, his excitement from the news contagious. “Just promise me you won’t tackle Lance in your excitement,” Pidge teased him, punching his arm lightly. Keith laughed, happy Pidge wasn’t mad at him, and promised them he wouldn’t tackle Lance.

                “Oh hey, and we also added a little surprise for you both. When you’re done eating and stuff, go up to the control panel and press the middle button. I promise you won’t regret it – I mean it was Coran’s idea,” Pidge added, almost as an afterthought. With a parting thank you, and goodbye, he – slowly – made his way back to the room. When he got back, he left the basket outside the door, and walked in.

                 “Okay, Lance, I need you to close your – why aren’t you dressed yet?” Keith crossed his arms, brows creased as he took in the picture before him. Lance was still sprawled out on the bed, half asleep, and not ready for the day. At. All.

                “You said I’d get breakfast in bed!” Lance pouted, batting his puppy eyes at Keith, trying to gain his sympathy.

                 “I said to rest, I never said breakfast in bed,” Keith conceded with a sigh, “but plans change. Now get up, you lazy lump. I have a surprise for you. Come on.” Keith tossed Lance his clothes – trying to get his boyfriend, aka ‘Mr. I-Need-My-Beauty-Sleep’, out of bed was always a challenge.

                  “Alright, alright, I’m moving. See? Look. I’m out of _bed_ , and _oh what’s this_? Mhm, I’m getting _dressed_! Aren’t you _just so proud of me_?” Having already put on his jeans, Lance tried to dramatically put on his shirt to only get stuck half-way through. His left sleeve had been pulled through the head hole, causing his arms to be trapped above his head, and him being unable to pull the shirt up or down. Keith burst out laughing as he watched Lance struggle with his shirt. “This isn’t funny Keith.” Lance’s annoyance was obvious.

                 “You’re right... Not funny…. It’s – you’re – hilarious!” Keith grabbed his stomach as he doubled over and then promptly fell to the floor in a fit of laughter. Lance just grumbled under his breath as he continued to struggle, before finally ceasing his efforts with a sigh. When Keith’s laughter had subsided to small giggles, Lance begrudgingly asked his boyfriend for help. Keith had a moment of debate – continue to tease Lance and waste time, or help him and get to brunch quickly – before quickly helping Lance. Once they were both finally ready to go, Keith led Lance to the door, and then paused, not opening it yet.

                 “Close your eyes.” He instructed. Lanced looked at him quizzically for a moment before silently closing his eyes – his trust and faith in Keith unspoken, yet heavy in the air. Keith held his finger millimeters from Lance’s eyes, and when Lance didn’t flinch away, he deemed Lance’s closed eyes satisfactory. “Alright, so I’m going to lead you out the door, and then I’ll take you to where we are eating brunch. Okay?” When Lance nodded his consent, Keith looped Lance’s arm through his, opened the door, and led him into the hall. He paused for a second to close the door, and pick up the basket, and then slowly escorted Lance to the other room.

                 “Okay, keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them, but we are here,” Keith informed him when they arrived outside the meadow room. “Wait out here for a minute, I have to make sure everything is how it should be. No peeking!” He eyed Lance as his boyfriend smirked. “I mean it, Lance!” He warned. Lance chuckled but relented, promising to not peek, and Keith let go of his arm. The moment he walked through the doors, Pidge’s words rang true, and the Altean meadow sprung to life all around him. Satisfied with the room, he set the basket down and then slowly led Lance in.

                 “Alright,” Keith hummed from behind Lance, once they were in the middle if the meadow, “open your eyes.” When Lance’s eyes fluttered open, his breath was stolen by the view before him. Wide-eyed, he slowly turned around to face Keith as his boyfriend babbled away, “… I know it’s not Earth, but you were so homesick, and I wanted to help, make you feel better, and I thought that maybe a picnic would make you feel better….” His voice trailed off as he raised the picnic basket up between them, causing Lance’ eyes to finally notice it. His mouth formed an ‘o’, and his eyes darted back up to meet Keith’s.

                  “Keith…”  Lance’s voice died in his throat as his eyes started to sting. This felt different though, he realized. The sadness that usually crushed his chest wasn’t there, he felt light, and a smile was hurting his cheeks. A giddy laughed bubbled out of him, as tears of happiness started to fall down his face. Keith just smiled in return, and after setting the basket down, he unfolded the blanket Hunk had slipped into it. He led Lance over to it, and they both sat down – Keith letting Lance look around and take everything in without interruption.

                  “Thank you, Keith.” Lance eventually smiled over at his boyfriend, happiness lighting up his eyes for the first time in a while.

                  “Oh course, Blue,” Keith answered in turn, “are you ready to eat?” Lance nodded as he wiped the tears from his face, and Keith pulled the basket over closer. However, Lance tears only returned, doubled in their efforts, when Keith pulled all the food out of the basket. Worried, he or Hunk had done something wrong, Keith immediately asked, “Lance, is everything alright? I’m sorry, is something wrong?”

                  Lance shook his head no, a small smile on his face as he stared at the food. _The family picnics his mother planned. Playing tag with his siblings, and collecting flowers for his mother. Wrestling his brothers, and playfully teasing his sisters when they made flower crowns. Sitting in the fields as he let the girls braid flowers into his hair as ‘punishment’ for his teasing. Being called to eat by his mother, and the food. Her food – this food – Keith’s food? Wait how did Keith know that his mother always brought the same exact thing for picnics? How did Keith know what to pack?_ The thoughts brought Lance back from his memory trance.

                “Did you pack the basket?” He asked, eyes still on the food. Keith hesitated a moment, before settling for the honest route.

                “Um, no. I wanted to, but Hunk was in the kitchen when I started, and he told me I was an awful cook. Said he would pack the basket, and to not worry about it…” Keith trailed off, hoping he hadn’t upset Lance by letting Hunk make the food.

                  “He knew exactly what my mother always brings on picnics. I used to tell him about her cooking, and he would try to replicate it. I- thank you, Keith.” Lance finally looked up at his boyfriend. “I’m sorry I’ve been nothing but water works lately. I just, I really appreciate this! Thank you!” He leaned forward and kissed Keith. It was a slow, languid kiss, full of love, happiness, and peace. It was a ‘thank you’ kiss, and a ‘you’re welcome’ kiss; an ‘I love you’ mixed with a ‘You’re home’ kiss. It held so many emotions and messages from both of them for the other, and they understood. Where words failed them, in this moment, their connection ran strong and deep, letting their silence speak the messages they couldn’t bring themselves to voice.

                  When the kiss finally ended, and the two had pulled apart, they stayed close, foreheads touching, and just breathed. Small, soft kisses, were shared until they finally sat back. Without a word, the two started eating, happy glances shared over bites of delicious food. Eventually Keith saw Lance’s eyes gloss over, and he knew Lance was lost to memories again. Wanting to keep him happy, and in the present as much as he could, Keith gently reached over and held Lance’s hand.  

                  “Tell me about them? If you want.” He suggested when Lance looked down at their joined hands. Lance smiled, nodding.

                  “They were always fun. It seemed as if the picnics were the only time we all got along. Usually one of us was trying to pick a fight with another, but we never did when we were out with mama. There would be light teasing – I would always tease my sisters for making flower crowns, and my brothers would tease me for gather flowers for my mother. But we knew it was hollow, light, almost routine. I would wrestle with my brothers while my parents set up the picnic area and prepared the food. Sometimes we would play tag, or other random games. But the highlight was always the food. Mama always brought the same thing, but she never made it any other time except for picnics, so, we would always crave it.” Lance paused, looking down at the food again with a smile, and his head tilted as if he was considering something for a moment. Keith took this time to assess Lance, and he was happy to see that his boyfriend was smiling. There was a sadness in his eyes, but it was there alongside joy – he wasn’t drowning in sadness or homesickness, and Keith was thankful.

            “That sounds wonderful, Lance.”

            “It is. Maybe if – when, we eventually return to Earth, I would love it if, you know, you would come on a family picnic with us.”

            “I would love to, Lance. I’ve never really been on a family trip, and a picnic sounds wonderful.”

            “Look, Keith, I know you’re trying to make me feel better, and you are, but I just wanted to say sorry. I know I keep rubbing it in that I have a family, and that my homesickness is a reminder that you have nothing back on Earth to really miss…”

            “Lance, no,” Keith’s tone was soft. “You’re wrong, Blue. Listen – It’s important that you hear this, and that you understand what I’m saying, okay? You’ve mentioned multiple times now that you feel guilty about having a family when I don’t, and Lance, you shouldn’t. Life isn’t fair sometimes, but that’s not your fault. Don’t feel sorry for something you can’t control. Besides, you’re wrong. My family may not be as large as yours, or blood related, but I have a family – you. And the rest of Team Voltron. Shiro was my family before I met all of you, and now my family has grown. I’m not alone, Lance, I know I’m loved here.

             Now, you also mentioned that I don’t get homesick. This, Lance, is where I should feel guilty, for I am at an advantage. And no, not the one you are thinking. Not having family on Earth, doesn’t affect the answer to this question. I don’t miss Earth, Lance, because my whole world is already right here. I don’t need Earth, because I have you right here. And that is why, if one of us should feel guilty, it’s me. Your family, and your life, are down on Earth, but mine are here with me. I’m sorry that I can’t change that, I really wish I could. But in answer to your question, I don’t get homesick because my home is right here next to you.”

             Lance starred at his boyfriend for a moment before launching across the blanket, tackling Keith in a hug. After a minute of silent hugging, Lance pelted Keith’s face and mouth with kisses, capturing his boyfriend’s mouth in a loving, passionate kiss, at the end.

             “Look at us – two guilty idiots in love.” He smirked at Keith, his flirtatious charm radiating off him as he hovered over his boyfriend. They were chest-to-chest, with Keith laying on his back, and Lance’s arms on either side of Keith’s head to support him as he hovered over Keith.

             “You’re such a romantic,” Keith laughed, rolling his eyes teasingly, gently pushing on Lance’s chest to get him off. Lance, instead of moving off Keith, completely laid down on top of him.

             “Me? A romantic? Why _of course, Princess_!” Lance batted his eyes at Keith as the latter started to wriggle under him in an attempt to escape.

             “Get off of me, Lance.” Keith sighed, exasperated with Lance’s overly dramatic antics, though he couldn’t hide his smile.

             “I just want to cuddle, Keith? Don’t you love my cuddling? Come on, let’s cuddle!” Lance whined playfully as he made a show of not cuddling, but crushing, Keith.

             “You crushing me is not cuddling. Come on, get off.” Keith gave Lance another half-hearted shove.

             “Well, if you’re gonna be a stick-in-the-mud, then fine.” Lance pouted again, sitting up, but not fully getting off of his boyfriend. “I mean, you asked for it!” He added a moment later with a smirk and mischievous glint in his eye.

             “Asked for what – LANCE NO!” Lance ignored Keith’s protests as his hands found their way to Keith’s ticklish spots, causing a trapped Keith to start squirming and thrashing under him as they both laughed. Lance’s hold on Keith wasn’t the best though, and Lance knew it. The moment he felt Keith starting to free himself from Lance’s torturous hold, he jumped up and backed away, laughing.

             “Oh you are not getting away with that!” Keith playfully challenged his boyfriend as he stood up. Lance just laughed, motioning “Come get me” with his hands as he slowly walked backward; a cocky grin spread wide on his face as he turned and started to run. Keith didn’t need a second invitation, suddenly running after Lance as full speed. It took Keith longer than he would admit to chase down his boyfriend – Lance was quick, and was always just out of his reach.

            “What’s wrong, Princess? Can’t catch me?” Lance teased as he twirled around Keith, just out of his reach. “Aren’t you tired of chasing something you won’t catch?” Keith had stopped running, trying to catch his breath. His eyebrows furrowed and his head tilted at Lance’s last statement.

             “Lance, you know that wherever you go, I will follow. I would chase you to the ends of the universe and back if I had to…?” Lance’s eyes widened as his body froze. He had been expecting a sassy comment, or annoyance, or – well – something other than _that_! His heart started to beat faster, a blush spreading over his face.

             Keith used Lance’s shocked state to his advantage, tackling his boyfriend to the ground. Laughing, the two rolled around on the ground, trying to gain the upper hand and pin the other to the ground. Eventually, Keith managed to come out on top, and had Lance pinned under him.

             “Do you yield?” Lance scowled and tried to roll them with no success. “Come on Lance, you can surrender now.” Keith leaned down and kissed Lance’s cheek. Lance sighed and stopped struggling.

             “Kiss me again and I’ll surrender.” He winked up at Keith, who rolled his eyes. He leaned down until his lips were almost touching Lance’s.

             “Surrender, and then I’ll kiss you,” he whispered against Lance’s lips, pulling away with a smirk when he saw Lance’s shocked face.

             “I surrender! I surrender!” Lance almost shouted, and Keith couldn’t help laughing at him. “Will you just kiss me already?” Lance whined, leaning up, and Keith met him halfway for a slow, sweet kiss.

             The two eventually found their way back to the blanket, and were finishing up dessert, when Lance looked at Keith shyly.

             “Did you, um… did you mean what you said earlier, Keith?”

             “I said a lot, Blue. Which part are you referring to?” Keith focused his attention on Lance, curious.

            “The um, universe thing? Ya know?” He looked at Keith expectantly, before adding, “Actually, it’s okay, never mind.”

             “Are you talking about when I said I would chase you to the ends of the universe?” Keith waited until Lance nodded before continuing. “Yes. I meant every word I said. I love you, Blue, and I love what we have here – between us. I don’t want to lose that, even if I have to follow you – or yes, chase you – to the end of the universe.”

             “Kinda sounds a little stalker-y Keith.” Lance teased, happy to hear Keith had meant his words.

             “Does it? I just meant that I would fight for what we have. I wouldn’t just let you walk away from this, from me.” They shared a smile. Lance opened his mouth, closed it, and then after breathing deeply, continued talking.

             “Keith… Thank you. For today, and what you said, and well, everything, I guess. You’re amazing and special, and I really don’t deserve someone like you… So, thank you for being who you are. I love you, Keith.”

             “I love you too - you’re my whole world, Blue.” Lance smiled, love in his eyes as he pulled Keith into a hug, and rested his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder. Keith wrapped his arms around Lance, pulling him in closer as Lance nuzzled his face further into Keith’s neck.

              It might not be Earth, and he might not be with his mom and siblings, but in that moment – safe in Keith’s arms – Lance knew that he was finally _home_.

* * *

 


End file.
